New Manchester has one of the youngest girls’ basketball programs on and off the court. The school is in its third year of existence and that’s reflected on a roster that only has two seniors. Through Dec. 19, New Manchester’s lone victory on the season came in a 38-34 home win over Allatoona on Dec. 10.

“We knew going into this season that we would have growing pains,” head coach Vincent Parks said. “We’ve had some good games but lack consistency. The girls have played hard and I’ve seen some improvements. The wins will come.”

Parks is in his first year with the Jaguars after serving on the staffs at Carrolton and Central (Carroll) in previous seasons.

One bright spot for New Manchester has been sophomore Deesha Brefford, who has averaged a team-high 16.7 points per contest.

“She’s been a big part of our transition game because we like to move the ball quickly due to our lack of size,” Parks said.

Junior point guard Taiylar Hibbard has also been a steadying presence for the Jaguars.

“Taiylar has done a good job of handling the ball for us and providing additional scoring,” Parks said.

Sophomore Nile Jones has averaged a team-high 5.3 rebounds per game. Angel Cox, Da’shauna Smith and Janay Darden have seen time in the front court.

“We’ve stressed block outs on rebounds in the past two weeks and they’ve done a good job with that,” Parks stated. “I want to see the team play smarter basketball by protecting the ball, getting back on fast breaks and other fundamentals.”

Hibbard said, “We’ve played harder defense recently and learning to work together because we’ve grown with the school. Coach Parks pushes us hard and we’re a better team. He really wants us to succeed and looks at the positive.”

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